Field of the Invention
The present invention is generally directed to carts for transporting agricultural materials and specifically directed to a grain cart with a folding auger having adjustable elevation.
Discussion of the Background Art
Carts, such as grain carts, can be used to shorten harvesting time by improving the efficiency of harvesting equipment such as combines. Such carts can, for example, be used to transport grain from harvesters or combines in the field to grain trucks or bins at the side of the field. Carts are often preferred for use compared to grain bins or grain trucks because grain bins are typically immobile and grain trucks typically do not perform well in muddy or rough field conditions and have the potential to spark fires in dry fields. Carts usually comprise a bin (i.e., hopper or box) sitting atop a wheeled frame in combination with an auger means or mechanism for unloading grain from the bin. Carts can be designed to handle soft or rough fields with ease and can be designed to be drawn by a tractor alongside a combine that unloads its contents into the cart. Carts can be used to enable a combine to continue to harvest while unloading the grain into the cart. This grain unloading arrangement can increase productivity dramatically because combines need never stop to unload. In addition, it is not necessary for the combines themselves to travel to grain trucks or bins at the side of the field each time the combine is full. After a cart is loaded with grain or other material by one or more combines, the grain is unloaded from the cart into a bin for temporary storage or into a waiting grain truck for transport to another location, such as a grain elevator. Because carts offer a combination of economy, versatility, production savings, and maneuverability, they have been widely accepted by farmers and widely produced by equipment manufacturers.
Carts capable of unloading grain directly into a grain truck or bin often use a conveyor to do so. Often the conveyor is in the form of an auger. Various auger configurations are known. Auger structures can, for example, be contained inside the hopper structure, located entirely outside of it, or in another desired location. Auger configurations can, for example, have a single auger or multiple augers. The auger structure can, for example, be located at the front, side, back, corner, or another desired location of the cart.
In auger configurations having an auger that extends through the hopper such that there is an auger structure contained inside the hopper structure, grain removal from the hopper can be significantly impaired because internal auger structures can hinder downward grain flow, leak grain into the sump causing a high start-up torque, and lessen the depth of the hopper sump area. Therefore, it is often desirable that the auger structure be located entirely outside of the hopper.
A double auger configuration can have, for example, a lower auger and an upper auger. The lower auger can, for example, receive material from the hopper and deposit it into the upper auger. The upper auger can then, for example, carry the material received from the lower auger and deposit it into a trailer, such as a grain trailer. Triple auger configurations are also known, which can include, for example, a lower, horizontally disposed drag auger, a vertically disposed lift auger, and an upper, horizontally disposed discharge auger.
One type of auger configuration is a corner auger. A corner auger can extend outward and upward from a lowermost portion of the hopper along a corner of the hopper. A folding, auger can, for example, include a retractable section that can be pivoted to a compact, folded position during non-use or travel and to an extended, unfolded position during use.
In some carts, the height at which material is discharged cannot be adjusted to accommodate trailers, trucks and bins of different heights. As a result, these carts could either be incompatible with tall containers or would need to be designed to accommodate the highest container that they would be expected to encounter. However, when such a grain cart is used with a shorter container, a gap between the dispensing end of the auger and the container can be created. Because material, such as grain, can often be light and susceptible to being blown away in windy conditions, such a gap can increase the amount of material that spills from the auger while attempting to unload the material into the container. Therefore, it can often be desirable for the elevation at which a cart discharges material to be adjustable. There exists a need for a cart having an auger, such as a corner auger cart, with adjustable elevation that can efficiently unload material into a container. Several examples of adjustable elevation augers are disclosed in U.S. Publication No. 2010/0254792 (“Grain wagon with external lift auger”), the content of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.